Kevin Kennedy, best known as Coronation Street's Curly Watts, has said he would be open to returning to the role more than 20 years after leaving the ITV soap. The 65-year-old actor played the supermarket manager and astronomy enthusiast from 1983 until 2003 and is now celebrating 50 years in showbiz with a new stage role.
Reflecting on the fame he experienced during his time on the programme, Kennedy said the scale of the show's audience was hard to comprehend. "When I joined, there were only four channels. When you've got almost a third of the population watching one episode of Coronation Street, that's actually mind-boggling," he said.
Fame and its toll
Kennedy admitted that the attention eventually took a toll. "I just dealt with [the fame] in all kinds of ways. When I wasn't feeling particularly sociable I had to keep myself to myself," he said. "It did have a toll on me eventually in one way or another."
He also questioned how he would cope with fame today, given the prevalence of social media and cameras. "Fame is totally different because there's cameras everywhere, social media, word travels fast, and that can be a good thing and a disastrous thing. I don't know how I'd have dealt with it today," he said.
Memories of Sarah Lancashire and the two-hander
On screen, Curly is best remembered for his romance with Raquel Wolstenhulme, played by Sarah Lancashire. Kennedy praised Lancashire's work and their enduring friendship. "Sarah was extraordinary. That whole story, to me and Sarah and Philip Middlemiss, who played Des Barnes, it was a really slow burn and the writing was just excellent," he said.
He also recalled the soap's first two-hander, which aired on the eve of the new millennium. "The two-hander was a total honour. That was the first episode that brought Coronation Street into a new century," he said. "Working with Sarah was always fun. We're still friends now."
Open to a return
Curly left Weatherfield in 2003 for a new life in Newcastle, but Kennedy said he would be open to a comeback. "I think any character going back to a soap after this length of time has a beauty to it because the audience knows who they are, and they also know what's been going on while he's been away," he said. "It'd be an honour, and it'd be great because I could see my old pals!"
Kennedy began his career in 1976 with Paris Valentinos alongside Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke, who later formed part of The Smiths. He has since released two albums and starred in musicals including Rock of Ages and We Will Rock You.
He is now preparing to play Mr Isaacs in a new musical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on the Oscar Wilde novella. The show is touring the UK until March 2027.
